Adrian Autry to Take Helm of Men’s Basketball as Jim Boeheim’s Storied Career

Comes to an End
Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Nearly 60 years ago, Jim Boeheim ’66, G’73 first arrived on the Syracuse University
campus as an undergraduate student and walk-on with the men’s basketball team. Little
did he know that six decades later, he’d be one of college basketball’s winningest head
coaches, a national champion, a Hall of Famer and one of the most prominent alumni in
Syracuse University history. Today, as his 47th season coaching his alma mater comes
to an end, so too does his storied career at Syracuse University. Associate Head Coach
Adrian Autry ’94, one of Boeheim’s former players and longtime assistant, has been
named the program’s next head coach.

“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not
be the powerhouse program it is today,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Jim has
invested and dedicated the majority of his life to building this program, cultivating
generations of student-athletes and representing his alma mater with pride and
distinction. I extend my deep appreciation and gratitude to an alumnus who epitomizes
what it means to be ‘Forever Orange.’”

In addition to the national title he and the 2003 team brought home during his 47 years
as Syracuse’s head coach, the Orange has made 35 trips to the NCAA Tournament,
including Final Four appearances in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013 and 2016. Boeheim, a
four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, has been honored as National Association of
Basketball Coaches District II Coach of the Year 10 times and United States Basketball
Writers Association District II Coach of the Year on five occasions.

“I have spent my entire career surrounded by the biggest and best names in
professional and intercollegiate athletics. Few people are on the same playing field as
Coach Boeheim,” says John Wildhack ’80, director of athletics. “Jim Boeheim is
synonymous with excellence, grit and determination. Jim is a rare breed of coach,
building a program that is among the best in college basketball for nearly five decades. I
am incredibly grateful for what he has done for Syracuse Basketball, Syracuse Athletics
and Syracuse University as a whole.”

Autry, a Syracuse alumnus whose family bleeds Orange, played for Boeheim from
1990-94 and went on to a successful professional career, playing primarily in European
leagues, as well as in the United States Basketball League (USBL). He began his
coaching career in 2006 when he was hired as associate head coach at Bishop Ireton
Catholic High School (Virginia) and went on to coach powerhouse AAU programs. Autry
moved into the collegiate ranks in 2008 when he was hired by then-head coach Seth
Greenburg as director of basketball operations at Virginia Tech. He was later promoted
to an assistant coach post. He was named assistant coach at Syracuse prior to the
2011-12 season and was promoted to associate head coach in March 2017.
“There have been very few stronger influential forces in my life than Syracuse University
and Jim Boeheim. They have both played such important roles and without either of
them, I am certain I would not have this incredible opportunity before me,” says Autry. “I
have spent much of my time in the game of basketball learning from Jim and am so
grateful to him for preparing me to carry on the winning tradition that is Orange
Basketball. It’s hard to imagine a world without him on the bench, but together with our
coaches, student-athletes and fans, we will build on decades of success as a winning
program.”

“It’s rare that a program has as deep of a coaching bench as we do here at Syracuse,”
says Wildhack. “We are fortunate to have someone of Coach Autry’s talent, experience
and character taking the reins of Syracuse basketball. Not only is he an exceptional Xs
and Os coach, he’s also an outstanding recruiter, selfless mentor, dedicated community
leader and a passionate Orange ambassador. I am thrilled to see what he will do with
this program as its head coach.”

At Syracuse, Autry has worked closely with eventual NBA draft picks Jerami Grant,
Tyler Ennis, Oshae Brissett, Tyler Lydon and Chris McCullough. Grant has enjoyed
tremendous success in the NBA, while Lydon, McCullough and additional Autry
protégés C.J. Fair and Andrew White have excelled in the NBA G-League. Autry
coaches the Syracuse forwards and recruits all positions for the Orange. Syracuse has
played in the NCAA Tournament in seven of his 12 campaigns as an assistant,
including Final Four trips in 2013 and 2016. In November 2016, Autry was honored as a
Syracuse LetterWinner of Distinction and in 2017 he received the prestigious Vic
Hanson Award from the Hardwood Club.

Autry and his wife, Andrea, reside in Jamesville, with a son, Trey, and a daughter, Nina.
They are also parents of a daughter, Aliyah, and a son Adrian Jr., both who graduated
from Syracuse.

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